The invention pertains to a vehicle for handling coils, particularly sheet metal coils, or the like.
It is known to those skilled in the art that, after manufacture, sheet metal coils are arranged axially side by side on usually parallel rows, on a stockyard. Then, these coils are loaded on a motor vehicle or on another transportation means for being transferred to their final destination.
Coils are typically handled by using lift trucks, the so-called dollies, whose means for engaging and lifting the coils generally consist of a boom extending horizontally forward beyond the front side of the lift truck. A lift truck having these features must be axially aligned with the coil to be lifted, which means that the longitudinal axis of the truck, while the coil is lifted, must be perpendicular to the row of coils.
These known lift trucks have rather huge longitudinal dimensions, and the above constrained coil lifting position requires the coils to be stocked in widely spaced rows, i.e. at a distance slightly longer than the length of the truck, to allow the vehicle to access and be driven between two adjacent rows.
Even when a lift truck with a lifting boom extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the truck is provided, the distance between the adjacent coil rows should be at least slightly greater than the overall width of the vehicle. (See FIG. 9).
For this reason, very wide stockyards are necessary for the coils, as compared with the space actually required by the coils, and this, due to the high cost of industrial areas, has a negative impact on the final cost of coils. Moreover, for the same reasons, the operations for loading a transportation vehicle also require a considerable space, at least on one side of the vehicle, since the lift truck with the above characteristics may perform the vehicle loading operation from one side position only. Further, the series of controls required by the lift truck for handling coils is quite time-consuming.
Hence, the invention has the object of obviating the above drawbacks and of providing, by simple and relatively inexpensive arrangements, a vehicle such as the one described hereinbefore which allows to drastically reduce the space required for stocking coils and allows easy and fast handling thereof, while saving time as compared with prior art systems. A further abject of the present invention is to make the operations for loading/unloading transport motor vehicles simpler, faster and safer, while reducing the overall space required for these operations.
The invention achieves the above purposes by providing a vehicle as described hereinbefore which comprises a bridgelike frame structure, which forms a tunnel all along the vehicle for the passage of the coils while they lay on the ground. As described in greater detail hereafter, this feature also allows a row of coils to pass through the tunnel, particularly in an axial side-by-side position.
This tunnel is dimensioned in such a manner as to have a height and a width corresponding to, or substantially slightly greater than those of the coil.
The vehicle according to the invention is further provided with means for gripping the coil and with means for lifting it.
Advantageously, the tunnel may be arranged to be at least partly upwardly open, so that the coil may be lifted above the height of the tunnel, i.e. taken out through the top of the tunnel.
Moreover, the tunnel may be dimensioned in such a manner as to allow the passage of the vehicle above the coil (or above a row of coils), in a condition in which ID the axis of the coils is parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the bridgelike frame structure may consist of a pair of framework longitudinal members, the distance therebetween corresponding to, or being slightly greater than the axial dimension of the coils, and of a transverse structure for connecting the two longitudinal members, which is disposed at a height above the diameter of the coils.
The frame structure may have at least four wheels with independent axles, so that no hindrance element is provided inside the tunnel, as would be the case, e. g. if sets of wheels with common axles were provided.
Each wheel is preferably provided at the end of each longitudinal member. This arrangement obviously provides an excellent base for the vehicle to lay on the ground.
The distance between the wheels of each front and rear set may be equal to or greater than the distance between the two longitudinal members, to allow the passage of the vehicle above the coil, while the latter lays on the ground.
The transverse connecting structure way include an operating cab and controlling and operating means.
Advantageously, the transverse structure may be limited to a portion of the longitudinal extension of the framework, particularly to the rear half of the frame. Thus, the front half of the tunnel may be arranged to open upward to allow the coil to be lifted. As is better described hereafter in the drawings, this feature also allows to obtain an optimal visibility of the operations from the operating cab of the vehicle, better than the one provided by prior art lift trucks. This feature constitutes an important safety factor for coil handling operators.
The means for lifting the coils may also consist of a crane-type boom, being articulated to the rear of the vehicle.
This lifting boom may be composed of at least two elements articulated together.
Alternatively, the lifting boom may consist of a single element, or of at least two sliding telescoping elements obviously, any other type of lifting boom, with any geometry, may be provided.
The means for driving the boom say consist of at least one linear actuator, but preferably of a pair of linear actuators, particularly of the oleo-pneumatic type. Each actuator is articulated between an intermediate portion of the boom, or of the boom element articulated to the vehicle, and one of the two longitudinal frame embers.
Alternatively thereto or in combination therewith, the at least one linear actuator may be articulated at one of its ends in an intermediate position of the boom, or of the boom element articulated to the vehicle, and at the opposite end to the transverse structure for connecting the two longitudinal frame members. Both the above described arrangements allow to avoid any hindrance element in the front portion of the vehicle, designed for the upward passage of the coils, and to maintain an excellent visibility of all operations performed by the operator from the cab.
The means for gripping the coils may consist of a gripper, consisting of at least two movable jaws. Each jaw may have at least one lifting tooth, oriented axially with respect to the coil, and being such that it can be engaged in one of the two opposite ends of the central cavity of the coil. The jaws may be driven toward/away from each other into a position of engagement with or disengagement from the coil.
Advantageously, the gripper may be mounted on a device, the so called xe2x80x9cgripper rotary actuatorxe2x80x9d, rotating about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the coil, with a motorized orientation. As described in further detail hereafter, this improvement is particularly useful, for instance, for loading transportation means from a side position, like in the case of railway cars.
The gripper may be mounted on the rotating device through sliding means which drive it relative to the rotating device, for centering the gripper with respect to the coil, immediately prior to lifting thereof.
The distance between the two longitudinal frame members, i.e. the width of the tunnel, particularly of the upwardly open portion thereof, may be longer than the dimension of the gripper in the open position, i.e. when the jaws are in the spaced apart condition, to allow the passage of the gripper, for instance for lifting a coil situated within the dimensional limits of the vehicle.
The motor drive may be provided in the longitudinal lateral frame members, e.g. two separate motors, one for each longitudinal member, and/or in the area of the transverse structure for connecting the two longitudinal frame members, e.g. a single motor, in a compartment provided at a height from the ground above the diameter of the coil and/or in compartments provided at the longitudinal frame members. All the above arrangements relating to motor drive location allow to avoid any hindrance element projecting inside the tunnel. The motor drive elements also have the function of ballasting the vehicle while improving its stability in any operating condition.
Means for steering and braking control on at least one of the front/rear set of wheels may be also provided. These means may be arranged to be independent for each wheel and have a control unit and control transmissions, drives, wiring and/or piping branching off the operating cab towards the sets of wheels along the longitudinal frame members.
The steering and braking devices may be provided at the side longitudinal members of the frame.
Each wheel may be mounted on an independent axle section, associated to the corresponding lateral longitudinal frame member. Independent braking and/or steering actuators may be associated to each wheel or to at least some of the wheels, and be connected to a synchronized and/or coordinated control unit therefor. Said unit is in turn connected to controls in the operating cab. Here again, the above described arrangement of said parts provides the advantage of avoiding the presence of hindrance elements in the tunnel.
At least one or both sets of front/rear wheels of the vehicle may be provided as steering wheels, and particularly both sets of wheels may be arranged to allow orientation through 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, to allow lateral translation thereof and further reduce driving spaces.
When a single motor is provided, it may be connected to each driven wheel, through separate drives for each wheel, extending within the corresponding longitudinal lateral frame members. Alternatively, each driven wheel may be provided with its own motor, located in the vicinity of the wheel.
Advantageously, the distance between the two longitudinal frame members and the height from the ground of the transverse structure for connecting the two longitudinal members, may be slightly greater than the corresponding dimensions of loading platforms of transport vehicles, to allow the vehicle to be loaded in a condition in which the loading platform of the vehicle is inside the tunnel of the vehicle, thereby apparently saving the space required by the vehicle of the invention for vehicle loading operations.
This invention also provides a combination of the vehicle described heretofore, with a coil store, wherein the coils are disposed in an axial side-by-side arrangement on parallel rows, and wherein said rows may be spaced in accordance with the width of each of the longitudinal frame members of the vehicle, and in accordance with the wheel gauge of the vehicle. Thanks to these arrangements, as described in greater detail hereafter, the vehicle may be arranged to pass above each row of coils and lift the coils in a position in which the vehicle is axially aligned with the row of coils, with a drastic reduction of the distance required between adjacent rows of coils.
The advantages of the present invention are apparent from the above disclosure, and consist in that a vehicle may be provided which allows easy, safe and fast handling of coils, time being saved as compared with the time required by currently used prior art lift trucks; a drastic reduction of the size of the necessary spaces for stocking coils; further, thanks to this invention, the operations for loading/unloading transport vehicles may made simpler, faster and safer, while the space required thereby is further reduced.
Further characteristics and possible improvements of the invention will form the subject of the dependent claims.
The characteristics of the invention and the advantages derived therefrom will appear more clearly from the following detailed description of the annexed figures, in which: